The natural order for an elite girls basketball player's career usually looks something like this: Star in high school, go to a top college, get drafted into the WNBA and play for Team USA.

Earlier this month, Recee' Caldwell skipped a few steps.

Just weeks removed from finishing her freshman year at Johnson, Caldwell helped Team USA win the FIBA Americas U16 Championship in Mérida, Mexico, on June 18. The U.S. defeated Brazil 73-40 for the title.

At just 14 and as the youngest player for the national team, Caldwell was a gold medalist.

“For me to even be in the same program as Lisa Leslie and Diana Taurasi and at such a young age,” Caldwell said, “that's the ultimate.”

The experience was a new one for Caldwell. For the first time in her young career, she wasn't counted on to carry the load. She learned to be a role player on a team stacked with the top players from the 2013 and 2014 classes.

“Any option on our team could get the job done,” she said.

She went into the tryouts with the reputation for being a scorer thanks in part to her 20.3 average for the Jaguars last season. She came out known as a pass-first point guard with scoring ability. The 5-foot-8 Caldwell tied the team high with six assists in a blowout of Venezuela and had 10 total. She scored five points in the tournament and averaged 10 minutes per game.

Not huge numbers, but enough to make a big impression on her coaches during trials and practices.

“I'm glad people see that I can do both,” Caldwell said. “When I have a 6-5 (post) in there, I don't have to score.”

“We saw him at breakfast, and my teammate got into trouble for trying to take a picture with her phone,” Caldwell said. “She was acting like she was trying to find a signal but a security guard caught her and almost escorted us out.”

In Mérida, Caldwell, whose mother's family is from Mexico, became the team's de facto translator. Her Spanish skills came in handy after a teammate dropped her phone down an elevator shaft and needed to communicate with the hotel staff to get it out.

Her Mexican heritage added a double dose of pride to the experience.

“My Spanish is kinda rusty,” she said with a laugh. “I got three-fourths of the way through the sentence but couldn't find the last two words.”

She also took pride in representing San Antonio. Along with Steele'sMcKenzie Calvert, who was invited to try out for the team, Caldwell taught her teammates that Texas basketball players don't just come from Dallas and Houston.

“Watching Recee' and McKenzie play against those girls was amazing, because they fit,” said Caldwell's father and AAU coach, Ray. “They more than held their own.

“It's really good for San Antonio. We're on the map now.”

Now, Caldwell's busy summer really begins. After returning to San Antonio last week, she already visited UTSA and Texas A&M and has trips planned for Baylor and Texas.

She'll also compete in AAU tournaments in Frisco, New Orleans and California. She's most looking forward to spending a month in California and Las Vegas with family and a trip to a particular famous fast-food joint.

“I get to eat at In-N-Out Burger,” said Caldwell, who was born in Southern California. “I miss it so much.”

But even the best double-double cheeseburger can't compare with winning gold with Team USA.